Andrew Hirsch Discusses the Technology Bank at the UN ECOSOC Inaugural Forum on Financing for Sustainable Development follow-up to the Addis Ababa Action Agenda

Mr. Hirsch provided an overview of the promise of the Technology Bank at a Panel Session, Round Table E on “Trade, science, technology, innovation and capacity-building” on Wednesday, 20 April 2016, in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, at the United Nations in New York.

The Round Table was chaired by the Minister and Private Secretary for National Policies of Nicaragua and moderated by the President of the Trade and Development Board of UNCTAD.

A summary of his presentation was recently published by the UN.

“Mr. Hirsch noted that a just, sustainable and integrated innovation and knowledge-based global ecosystem would require strong foundations, including peace and social stability, a market-based economy, respect for the rule of law, targeted national policies and multi-stakeholder participation.

The technology bank was established as a facilitating mechanism to address science, technology and innovation gaps in the least developed countries by helping them to build a robust science, technology and innovation base, supporting their technology access, acquisition and utilization and promoting the research networking of their science, technology and innovation community.

It was time to operationalize the technology bank, with a view to ensuring information access to support research and development, supporting intellectual property rights and technology transfer on mutually agreed terms and conditions and providing intellectual property technical assistance and training for the benefit of the least developed countries.”